Love And Fireworks
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: Fic request for StudioKawaii. Now that the state of California has struck down the ban on same sex marriages, Phoenix decides to ask Miles to marry him and he plans to do so formally at the festival that they will be attending later that evening...


_Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth, Maya Fey and Pearl Fey do not belong to me; they belong to CAPCOM. The request was by StudioKawaii. Hope you ladies enjoy! _

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_Now that the State of California has struck down the ban on same-sex marriages, Phoenix plans to ask Miles to marry him at the Festival later on that evening..._  
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I offered to write a PxE oneshot for StudioKawaii and asked them what situation they would like to see fictionalized. This was their request: "We´d always wanted to to read something about a summer festival, yukatas, Maya&Pearls being cute while somebody proposes to somebody under the fireworks or at least they grab hands when nobody´s watching..." I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get this done and I hope you ladies enjoy it!

A bit of contemporary events that I made part of the story since I felt that it made it a more interesting, and real, story which is the way I write my fanfiction; I just don't want the characters to be one-sided but to look at them as real people with real emotions. [Taken directly from Wikipedia: **Proposition 8**, known informally as **Prop 8**, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment passed in the November 2008 California state elections. The proposition was created by opponents of same-sex marriage in advance[2] of the California Supreme Court's May 2008 appeal ruling, _In re Marriage Cases_, which followed the short-lived 2004 same-sex weddings controversy and found the previous ban on same-sex marriage (Proposition 22, 2000) unconstitutional. Proposition 8 was also ultimately ruled unconstitutional by a federal court (on different grounds) in 2010, although the court decision did not go into effect until June 26, 2013, following the conclusion of proponents' appeals. [Link: wiki/Californ… ] This was the catalyst for Phoenix asking Miles to marry him since they could do so now legally. YAY!

The date for the Festival in this story is my husband's and mine wedding day in 1999.

**Thank you** to all who have read, favorited and enjoy my work. It really means a lot to me and I hope that you will continue to enjoy my stories in future!

**Thank you** to my beta reader, Pearls1990, for her amazing betaing skills! Much appreciated and thank you also for suggesting the title!

**EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU** to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for all his help, support, advice, nagging (when necessary), enduring love and snuggles and encouragement! I appreciate it more than I can say! Love you!

Comments are appreciated and welcome! I'll probably change some things at some point; always room for improvement!

Rated T, male/male relationships, Romance, Phoenix x Edgeworth

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_July 31st  
>Phoenix Wright &amp; Miles Edgeworth Residence<br>8 A.M._

The previous evening had been a late one, and both Miles and I were still sleeping when Maya and Pearls arrived early that morning.

"Nick!" Maya called and one of my eyes cracked open slowly and with great effort, my mouth twisting sourly as I fought to clear my fluffy, sleep addled head. "Time to get up!"

My half open eye flicked over to the digital clock that graced the bedside table. _8 A.M._ I gritted my teeth as I closed my eyes, wondering what the heck she was doing here so early in the morning.

_Go away, Maya!_ I thought uncharitably, groaning and pulling the covers over my head. I felt Miles stir slightly beside me and I silently cursed morning people while adding a few more spicy anecdotes in my head. I really hoped that this sudden intrusion wouldn't wake him since he tended to be rather cranky when someone else woke him up instead of waking up on his own.

For a few moments, silence reigned and I thought that Maya had left which meant that I could now resume sleeping. I soon found I was wrong when another soft, dulcet voice called up the stairs just as I was burrowing underneath the comforter.

"Mr. Nick," piped up Pearls when it seemed like Maya had been unsuccessful in her attempts to wake me, "it's time to get up. We have a lot to do today so it's good to get started early."

I buried my head in the pillows, groaning loudly into them and wishing fervently that this was only a bad dream and that Maya and Pearls really _weren't_ at the foot of the stairs.

"**NIIIIIICK! NICK! NICK! NIIIICK**!"

It wouldn't do to kill her but murder was definitely at the forefront of my mind and even more so when I felt Miles moving again with more vigor than he had been before. I cursed roundly under my breath when I heard his irritated groan and, if the grouchy tone was any indication, he was _not_ in a very happy mood.

Not that I could blame him. She was my assistant and I felt like killing her. However, I also knew, given past associations, that she wouldn't quit until I actually got up. It was with a groan of annoyance that I finally dredged myself up out of bed, pulled on my black bathrobe and pushed my feet into the pair of black slippers by the bed, stood up and sauntered across the room.

I paused at the door, my fingertips resting lightly on the doorknob, yawning. I turned around, my fingers resting lightly on the doorknob; I watched Miles as he settled into a comfortable position and a crooked grin spread out over my face.

_Ah well,_ I thought as I watched him for a few moments, _at least he'll get some more sleep._ I yawned again before I blew a kiss in his direction before I shuffled out the door and closed it softly behind me. When I at last began descending down the stairs, I was greeted with a near deafening chorus from Maya and Pearls and I couldn't help but wince at the high-pitched tone.

_I really must remember to get the locks on the front door changed..._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_3 P.M._

The hours leading up to our attending the festival were, for the most part, uneventful. I was still put out with both Maya and Pearls for barging into our home and waking us both up. I lectured them both rather sternly about the legal definition of "Breaking and Entering" and that their sojourn into our home _without_ invitation, or our knowledge, would definitely qualify.

After I was finished, both Maya and Pearls apologized - I thought that Maya's was a trifle insincere due to the exaggerated facial expressions I could see her making when she thought I wasn't looking but I knew that Pearls really was sorry for their unsolicited intrusion this morning; it was plain from the crestfallen expression on her face - and continued the day from there.

Miles finally joined us after two-thirty and went to pour himself a cup of coffee, giving me a quick buss on the mouth and a pointed glare at Maya as he made his way over to the counter in the kitchen. I couldn't help but feel meanly glad about it in one respect: I really was angry with them, though it was mostly Maya since I knew that she would let it roll off of her as she always did, for barging in like they had and resolved to make it a rule that they would NOT come to our home at ANY time before noon.

After letting both of them know that we really would appreciate it it if they wouldn't just come barging in whenever they felt like it and call us first in the afternoon, we resolved to soothe the sting as much as we could. We poked some gentle fun at Maya and then, when both girls had visibly relaxed, we settled in to make plans to attend the Festival in Carmel that evening.

We'd decided, collectively, that we would wear yukatas, Japanese summer kimonos, to the Festival since we had some Miles had picked up when we went on vacation to Japan for a couple of weeks two years earlier. It wasn't required by any means but we thought it might be a good idea in keeping with the spirit of the Festival; besides, they were very comfortable and we didn't often wear them so when a chance presented itself where we could reasonably wear them, we jumped at it.

The festival was something that we looked forward to every year and this year was especially relevant for me since the State of California had reversed the ban on gay marriage and I was going to ask Miles to marry me. Marriage had been in the back of my mind ever since we started dating and this would be the perfect opportunity to formalize our commitment, and express our love, for each other and I was anxious to ask.

I'd already purchased a ring a couple of months earlier: a 4 mm platinum band with a small square emerald in the center. Miles had bought me a silver band with a square amethyst at its heart a few years back and I'd been waiting for the opportunity to propose to him even if we couldn't be legally married in the eyes of the law.

At the time, it really didn't matter if we could legally marry or not since I loved Miles and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. It would mean the world to us both if we could at least exchange rings even if we couldn't have done so legally previously. Now that the ban regarding same-sex marriages had been struck down in our state, I had made up my mind that we had waited long enough and would be married as soon as possible.

I admit that I was very gun-shy about asking Miles to marry me and, if it hadn't been for Maya and Pearls gently pushing me to propose, I don't think I would have had the courage to do so. I wasn't at all certain that Miles wanted to get married since we'd never discussed it seriously and I really didn't know what his feelings on the subject actually were.

I suppose it all boiled down to one thing: I was deathly afraid that Miles would turn down my proposal and really didn't want to pursue the matter any further but Maya, in cahoots with Pearls, had gently persuaded me otherwise. How either of them knew how he would react or how he actually felt I had no idea but they persisted and, in the end, they had managed to convince me to take the leap of faith and ask him to marry me.

With that out of the way, I had been making plans with Maya, Pearls, Gumshoe and Ema's help these past few weeks and all that remained was for me to pop the question to Miles. I could feel my heart racing as I thought of what I would say; to say the least, I was nervous and even more so now that Miles had gotten wind that there was _something_ going on that he was being kept in the dark about.

He was like a bloodhound, trying to sniff out what we planning and I had to be extra careful around him so as to not give it away. I had skirted disaster more than once on the past few months in trying to keep it a secret; at one point, Pearls nearly gave it away with an innocent comment that left Miles with a raised eyebrow and some rather pointed questions for me. I did manage to answer them somewhat to his satisfaction, thankfully, though he still gave me that look out of the corner of his eye while I grinned foolishly. He wasn't called the _Demon Prosecutor_ for nothing! It had been a very near thing and I didn't want to come _that_ close again.

Though I knew that his curiosity was eating him alive, both of us were very busy over the time I was plotting with my friends and he didn't have the spare time to try and pry it out of me for which I was grateful. The night before the Festival, everything was ready-although I was still nervous about something going wrong in the interim though Maya was convinced I was being silly-and I waited with impatience for the following evening to come.

As we sat at the breakfast nook table enjoying a cup of tea that afternoon, I couldn't help but look at him out of the corner of my eye and marvel anew at just how lucky I was to have this beautiful man as my own. We had come through many a storm in our lives and each day I spent with him was magical. I couldn't have imagined someone more suited to me than Miles and I looked forward to many years to come by his side...this time as my husband.

I couldn't wait for evening to arrive, stroking the small black velvet box nestled deep in my pants pocket, a secretive smile on my face.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Festival Grounds  
>Carmel, CA<br>8 P.M._

Colored lanterns of light were strung across the entrance to the park where the Festival was being held and all of us stopped to catch our collective breaths as we walked through the entrance. We were all clad in our different yukatas-I in midnight blue with gold dragons, Maya in purple with gold flowers, Pearls in pink with black vine patterns and Miles in black with sprays of swirls in silver-and we greeted others that we knew who had also come to the festival as the passed by, stopping to converse with some of them.

There was a soft breeze blowing that evening so it cooled down the stifling hot weather we'd had for the past two days somewhat and we stopped to admire the beauty that surrounded us as we made our way inside. The hoot and hollers from the gaming vendors could be heard over the the hum of the crowd as the delicious smells from the food vendors' wares made our stomachs rumble.

Paper lanterns ringed the area and provided a multicolored ceiling of light overhead as Maya and Pearls wandered about ahead of us as Miles and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll. Looking at the various food vendors peddling their wares, playing a multitude of different games with various prizes, I wondered where I was going to get an aquarium large enough to contain all the goldfish that we'd won. But, all in all, we were enjoying ourselves immensely and the cool evening air made it much more pleasant.

I held Miles' hand tightly in my own as we walked about, reveling in the closeness of the man I loved more than anyone else in the world and, I must admit, feeling very smug as we stopped to chat with people that we knew briefly before moving on.

We enjoyed the festival immensely and waited with some impatience for the fireworks show to begin. I loved fireworks and this display was among some of the most impressive I'd seen and, although I couldn't be one hundred percent certain of this, it seemed to me that those who put on the festival wanted to make the fireworks display at dusk to be more spectacular, and breathtaking, than the year before. In this instance, they certainly succeeded in doing just that.

Miles and I stood transfixed as the loud rockets burst into vibrant colors, a rainbow shimmering in the darkened sky. I could feel the soft touch of his skin against mine and I thrilled to have him standing so close to me. Time seemed to stand still as we stood there, our fingers slowly intertwining, our eyes fixed on the amazing light show going on above our heads.

We stood in silence for some time, watching the blazing color show above us with rapt interest. I looked at him from the corner of my eye, marveling again at how this lovely man was such an intricate part of my life and how lucky I was to have him.

"Miles," I said softly, not wishing to disturb his reverie. He seemed to be lost in thought and I could feel him start a little as I did so before he turned to me, his face illuminated by the glow of the fireworks bursting overhead, a sleepy half-smile on his lips. "I have something I would like to ask you."

His eyebrow raised at my cryptic words.

"What do you mean, Phoenix?" he asked curiously but I only smiled and shook my head, taking a step back from him, gently leading him to follow behind. I could see that his curiosity was eating him alive - it was plain from the expression on his face that he was wondering what I was up to - but he obediently followed behind me.

I looked over where Maya and Pearls were standing and, as prearranged, I nodded to her; she nodded back and, taking Pearls' hand in her own and led her over to the calamari stand. She was a bit puzzled by this but nodded when Maya whispered something to her and followed her without another word and I watched them until they disappeared from sight.

I led him to a small copse of trees that made a leafy roof over our heads that framed the exploding lights perfectly, giving the area a soft glow. squeezed his hand tenderly as mine shook slightly. Miles gave me a quizzical look but remained silent; I had no doubt that he was wondering why my hand was shaking and I took a few deep breaths in order to steady myself. It was a very serious step that I was about to take and I needed to be calm when I did.

I'd been dreaming of this moment for a very long time and I wanted the moment to be perfect when I asked Miles if he would marry me.

I waited for a few moments before, with one last deep breath, I turned to face Miles who looked back at me, his face full of expectation. He knew that something was afoot and he waited in a tense silence for me to speak.

"Miles," I began again, swallowing hard, "you mean the world to me and I have enjoyed our time together immensely." I could feel him tense for a moment, his hand quivered but he relaxed when he saw the bright smile that spread across my face. "I love you more than I can ever express in words," I continued, my left hand strayed to the inside of my yukata, my fingers closing around a small, black box nestled deep within the pocket, "and you've made me the happiest man in the world. There's no one else that I could ever imagine myself with and it would please me very much if you would consent to be my spouse, my partner in life, to spend the rest of your life with me."

I stepped back, releasing his hand and got down on one knee, drawing the box out of my pocket and opening it.

He gasped in pleased surprise, his grey orbs shimmering with emotion as he saw the silver ring nestled in black velvet, a single round emerald at its heart with delicately scrolled vines on both sides.

I looked up at his face, my voice trembling as I leaned forward, taking his left hand in my own, my fingertips gently stroking his. "Miles Edgeworth, will you marry me?"

A loud explosion, followed by a burst of color followed immediately afterward and we both jumped before we chuckled, our cheeks reddening. I waited until the sound had died away before I asked him again.

"Miles Edgeworth, will you marry me?"

"Yes, Phoenix," he whispered hoarsely, his voice faltering with emotion. "Yes, I _will_ marry you!"

My heart sang with joy and I beamed as I let go of his hand and, with unsteady fingers, slipped the silver band onto his fourth finger, my eyes shining with happiness. Still holding his left hand tightly in my own, I stood and pulled him close to me, kissing him with all the passion in the world. I felt his right arm snake around my shoulders and squeeze gently.

We kissed for what seemed like forever, fireworks going off in every direction and filling the sky with color but neither Miles nor myself noticed, lost as we were in each other.

After we parted, I rubbed the tip of my nose against his, our fingers intertwining, as both emerald and amethyst glinted in the glow of the light overhead.

"I love you, Miles," I said, my voice imbued with love.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Phoenix."

We held each other close as I leaned in to kiss him again, doing a long, and proper, job of it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_9:30 P.M._

Maya gazed lovingly at the two from a few feet away, a smile playing about her lips.

It was about time that Nick and Mr. Edgeworth made honest men of each other; she knew how much they loved each other and wanted nothing more than their happiness although she well knew that Nick would need a little prodding to get the ball rolling.

She, along with Pearly, had connived to make this come about, dropping a few subtle, and not so subtle, hints about how Nick and Mr. Edgeworth should marry since it was now legal for them to do so.

She knew that Nick was nervous about asking Mr. Edgeworth to marry him and she understood that it _wasn't_ a lack of love that made him hesitate but a lack of confidence. She'd managed to convince him-which was no small feat-to get over his fears that he would reject his suit since she knew very well that he would not.

She'd asked him once, casually, about his feelings on the matter and she'd gleaned the following from his blustery and embarrassed response: Mr. Edgeworth would be more than happy to marry Nick but he hadn't asked him and they had never discussed the subject.

He'd told her to mind her own business before he stormed off, his face flaming red but Maya didn't mind since she knew that he was embarrassed at having to reveal something so personal; that was just the way that he was. She'd thought of a way that she could bring Nick to pop the question to him and, with Pearly's help, brought it about. She supposed that, in one sense, it might be considered a little sneaky but she brushed that thought aside; if she hadn't, then Nick would never have had the courage to ask Mr. Edgeworth to marry him and that, in her mind, would have been a disaster.

She smiled in the darkness as she watched the two men embrace, happiness and joy welling up within her. She'd gone along with Nick once she'd managed to convince him that Mr. Edgeworth wouldn't turn him down - she marveled again at how difficult it had been to convince him without revealing just how she knew this to be true - to buy the engagement ring and then waited for the opportune moment to put the second half of her plan into action.

_I_ knew _that they were perfect for each other,_ she thought with satisfaction, chuckling softly to herself as Pearly came toward her, holding two squid on a stick snacks in her hand. _I'm so glad that Nick decided to listen to me for once and propose._

It had worked perfectly and she couldn't help but feel a little smug about it but rejoiced inwardly that, after so many years, both Nick _and_ Mr. Edgeworth really _could_ have their happily ever after.

**~FIN~**


End file.
